Greetings from South Africa! The journey here was a long one, beginning with a theme of 2-hour waits--first a 2 hour wait to check in for our flight to JFK at National, followed by a 2 hour wait on the runway at JFK..."heavier than usual summer traffic," they said. Even the most patient among us became a little antsy by the time we actually took off, but the wait also alleviated most of my anxiety. All of the ladies on the trip keep telling me how touched they were that my Dad came to JFK just to say hello for five [View Full Entry]

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Dear All, Quick Notes: Scott: I flew in that Thursday to Heathrow, dummy, and got there roughly an hour after everything started. But thank you for thinking of me anyway. Resh: Congratulations! :) Dad: I'll call soon. Thank you for sending a message though, and yes, this is where you post. Blue: I miss you too, kitty. I thought of you yesterday when I saw a stray cat outside our place. It meowed at me, and it sounded a little like you. Also, I've talked about you with some of my friends here who also have kitties they miss. *Hug* Anyway... [View Full Entry]

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Today we went on a tour of Robben Island, which was the site of a prison for many years, made famous because it held many political prisoners during the apartheid regime. Nelson Mandela was it's most famous prisoner. We were led on a tour of the prison by a former politicial prisoner who shared his experiences with us. The boat that took us out to the island is connected to a museum on the waterfront and the ride out was actually beautiful because it was the first time I saw Table Mountain and Cape Town from that view. There were many [View Full Entry]

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Hi everyone: Somehow, even thousands of miles away from DC and LA, I can still procrastinate and not write an entry until day FIVE of my trip. I am having a really good time. I live in a house with 15 other girls...depending on how well you know me, I thought this would be pretty painful, but they're all really cool (not sure if I'll think so after a month, though). I'll be honest, and I know this might disappoint some of the people who've traveled to Africa who might be reading this. I should have expected it, I guess, but [View Full Entry]

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After a day of orientation all the international students were invited to participate in a drum circle. We each received our own drum and tried to play as the instructors taught us some beats. At one point some of us were given percussion instruments and yours truly was given a castanet. Lots of fun was had laughing at ourselves trying to keep up with the real drummers. [View Full Entry]

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Our CIEE group has merged with all the other international students and we're in the middle of UCT orientation. Basically we have to get up really early and walk to middle campus and listen to people talk to us about academics, safety, etc. As exciting as that sounds the best part is that they take us on little tours of Cape Town and the area. Today we went on the Cape Peninsula tour. We stopped at pretty bay areas along the way to our main destination which was Cape of Good Hope, the south western most point on the African Continent. [View Full Entry]

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We visited the University of Cape Town today and saw where we'll be going to school and living. As much as I love USC and think it's beautiful this campus has to be the most amazing looking school EVER! The school is literally built on the side of the Table Mountain Range on the edge of Devil's Peak. We were divided into small groups during orientation so that's who all those people are with me on the Jamison Steps. Later on that evening we had dinner at an African Restaurant, Marco's where there was live music and dancing. I was feeling [View Full Entry]

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I arrived in Cape Town at 8:00 am after a really long overnight flight from London just as the sun was rising and the mist and fog was coming down over the mountains. It was absolutely beautiful. The weather was so warm compared to London, which was ironic since it was winter in Cape Town! After resting and exploring the area around our hotel our program took us to the top of the famous Table Mountain. Words cannot describe the view so I'll let my little pictures do the talking. [View Full Entry]

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Back to Civilization The first day in Cape Town, my brain experienced total sensory overload from all the sights. And we’re not talking Table Mountain or the Cape of Good Hope, although they were awesome sights. We’re talking about simple things, like seeing houses out the airplane window; savoring my first fresh sandwich and my first café latte with fresh milk; ordering room service; and taking a shower with hot running water!!! Simply amazing. That was my first day - just getting used to “normal” life again and really being so thankful for having all these things again! You know I [View Full Entry]

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¡Visita mi página web y mis blogs! www.temoris.org temorisblog.wordpress.com www.mundoabierto.info [View Full Entry]

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